Attachment 7C - Flora and Fauna Survey Assessment_Noosa Landfill - Revision 3

                                                                                      Native Foresters



           Aural survey and/or call playback - where recorded calls of the listed frog species
            are played to determine their presence.
           Opportunistic dip-net surveys - where repeated sweeps with a fine mesh, long-
            handled triangular dip net are used to sample representative aquatic habitats for
            crayfish and tadpoles. All fauna captured are released unharmed.

2.2.3 Breeding places and fauna habitat assessment

A fauna habitat assessment was undertaken during the field investigations. This
assessment was based on the habitats present; the listed threatened species known to
occur or potentially occurring within the locality, and the occurrence of specific breeding
places or breeding habitat for these species.

For the purposes of this report, the definition of “breeding places” follows that provided in
s332 of the Nature Conservation (Wildlife Management) Regulation 2006. For species such
as Koala and native frogs, who do not use a habitual breeding place, the term ‘breeding
habitat’ is used in lieu of ‘breeding place’.

The fauna habitat assessment is important in determining species that may be in the area
but whose presence was not able to be detected.

Habitat features that were considered significant for assessing the presence of breeding
places and/or habitation value for native fauna, include but are not limited to:

   i.       Presence of hollow-bearing trees: These may be used by birds, reptiles or arboreal
            mammals to incubate and rear offspring;
  ii.       Presence of bowers, nests, dreys: These structures are commonly used by birds or
            mammals to incubate or rear offspring;
 iii.       Presence of caves, mounds, burrows, ground hollows and/or coarse woody debris:
            These structures are commonly used by birds, mammals, reptiles or amphibians to
            incubate or rear offspring;
 iv.        Presence of permanent water, ephemeral ponding, depressions and/or, seasonally
            inundated areas: Waterbodies may be used for breeding by aquatic species or
            amphibians, or that may provide intermittent breeding habitat for opportunistic
            species;
  v.        Presence of large trees: Large trees can be a dominant feature of native vegetation
            and are difficult to replace once lost. Their influence for wide-ranging species can
            extend over a considerable distance from their location.
 vi.        Canopy cover: The uppermost stratum of woody vegetation that forms the canopy
            functions as habitat for birds and arboreal mammals, provides food and resources,
            and determines the degree of light penetration and heat reaching the lower strata
            and ground detrital layer.
 vii.       Weed cover: Weeds can dominate and suppress native plant growth which affects
            the diversity of food sources; they can change the fuel or litter characteristics of a
            site, thereby altering the fire regime, and also prevent recruitment and succession
            of native vegetation.
viii.       Understorey components: The shrub and herb strata generally contain the greatest
            plant species richness and can be a useful indicator of disturbance and changes in
            condition.



Noosa Landfill & Resource Recovery Centre – Fauna and Flora Assessment – Revision 3               13